Our story
Demyst began in 2016 with a simple observation: the world outside the boardroom was accelerating faster than the world within it and boards needed new thinking to help them keep pace.
We believed there was a better way to understand how boards think, decide, challenge and create value. That belief was shaped by nearly four decades of board observation, learning and research, and by an interdisciplinary approach that brought together board craft, strategy, human sciences, psychology and innovation.
Our first white paper on the future board was published in 2016. Since then, we have continued to develop practical ideas that help boards stay ahead of change, free up bandwidth for better decisions, strengthen supervision and address longstanding boardroom challenges.
Many of those ideas, from future boardroom concepts to innovation and cognitive diversity, have since gained wider traction in the UK governance world.
Today, Demyst continues to combine evidence, experience and fresh thinking to help boards perform at their best: human in judgement, rigorous in approach and ready for what comes next.
Our purpose is simple: to help boards think better together, work better together and have greater positive impact on their organisations and society.
What we stand for
These are the key ambitions and values we hold for our clients and ourselves.
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Meet the leadership team
We represent a professionally and cognitively diverse interdisciplinary team, bringing nearly four decades of board craft, human performance, psychology and technology to help boards solve harder problems.
CEO
Neil Tsappis
Neil is an experienced boardroom operator with deep expertise in listed board governance, performance evaluation and strategic challenge, bringing a particular focus on innovation, creative problem-solving and long-term organisational evolution.
He has shaped complex corporate re-engineering with multi-£billion and multi-£million outcomes. Guided on politically sensitive issues involving boards, executives, shareholders and internal stakeholders. Built governance arrangements and teams to strengthen accountability, board decision quality and execution.
Science Director
Dr Tamara Russell
Tamara is a dual-qualified PhD and Clinical Psychologist who works at the intersection of clinical psychology, neuroscience and executive leadership development. She has more than 20 years of experience translating cutting edge neuroscience and clinical research into practical frameworks for c-suite leaders, global organisations and more recently for boards.
Tamara leads on several modules for Imperial College Business School Executive Education programs including the Future of Health, Leading in the Age of AI, Managing Across Generations and Leadership in a Technology Driven World. She is a published author, an active researcher and a frontier innovator in the field of mindfulness.
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AI Director
Oliver Tsappis
Oliver leads Demyst’s AI programmes, bringing an established career in data science and machine learning to our work on responsible AI, insight generation and board performance.
With a degree in International Economics and Business, and a background working with incubators and accelerators, he combines technical expertise with a practical understanding of how emerging technologies move from idea to adoption.
He helps boards and executive teams translate AI ambition into actionable pathways, supporting Demyst’s focus on corporate sovereignty, auditable systems, capability-building and long-term organisational value.
Training collaborators
Jenny and Michelle helped us develop the Cognitive Diversity in the Boardroom programmes over several years and work with us as members of the delivery team.
Dr Jennifer Simnett is an experienced board director, town mayor and governance professional, with over 25 years’ experience in transforming public, private and not-for-profit organisations.
Her PhD was in corporate governance investigating the strategic value and dynamics of nomination committees. She has held several non-executive director roles with national charities and in social housing. She has also held varied executive director roles on diverse boards. With over seven and a half years’ experience as chair of a people committee, Jenny has championed diversity, board appraisals and succession planning. She has mentored executive and non-executive board members to strengthen their voice on the board.
Dr Jennifer Simnett
Michelle is a strategy and governance professional with a PhD in Physics and chartered manager credentials.
She brings more than 20 years’ experience across strategy, governance, risk and performance management, with particular depth in public and third sector organisations.
Her work combines strategic vision with meticulous attention to detail. She has led complex organisational transformation, supported senior decision-making and managed stakeholder engagement across varied and sensitive environments.
Dr Michelle Gardner